


If this is what you feel is right

by Smoke_Wisp



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cannon compliant, Gen, blade keith, season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 03:51:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13263057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smoke_Wisp/pseuds/Smoke_Wisp
Summary: What's going on in Keith and Shiro's minds in the final scene of season four, episode one.





	If this is what you feel is right

Keith rarely had second thoughts, perhaps because of his Galra DNA. Once he’d decided on a course of action, he was committed, even eager, to follow through. 

But not this time. It had taken every last bit of his resolve to step through the bridge doors and confront his fellow Paladins.

And it was as bad as he’d been dreading. Allura, Pidge and Lance all looked like they were competing for best angry face, while Hunk and Coran projected a mix of disappointment and hurt. But Shiro was the worst – cold and distant, like he’d given up, like he was through with Keith.

Shiro had given him that look after Lotor had gotten away with the comet ship and when Keith had pushed too hard on trying to track down the source of the new quintessence. And, same as then, Keith fell into apologizing, desperate to soften Shiro’s gaze. 

As the words tumbled from his mouth he felt the tension in the room lessen, if only slightly. That hadn’t been the case in his foster homes or at the Garrison. Back then, saying sorry just made it worse, like somehow admitting fault revealed the rottenness of his character. 

With his teammates, admitting to being in the wrong felt oddly good. They already knew his flaws, and they were okay with them, with him. These people aboard the castle truly had become his family.

It made what he had to say next painful, but necessary. Keith opened his mouth to speak the words he’d been rehearsing in his head.

“This wasn’t the way I wanted it to happen, but if there’s a bright side to any of this, it’s that my actions allowed Shiro to re-establish his relationship with the Black Lion. He can finally be the leader I was unable to be. I’m not meant to pilot the Black Lion. Shiro, you are the rightful leader of this team.”

This short speech produced the desired effect. Shiro thawed. His eyes went warm, his body no longer braced for an assault. When he smiled and embraced, Keith it was almost like they were back in the Garrison.

A month’s worth of Black’s rejection had been hard on Shiro. It was clear in the melancholy glances Shiro threw while watching them run to the hangar entrances before a mission. It was clear in the exasperated way he tried to direct them from the bridge. It was even clear in the brusque tone he used when they were alone together, even when Shiro was complimenting him. 

Over the course of that month, Keith could see Shiro withering. He was a born leader and being sidelined was eating him up.

As many times as it takes – Keith would keep his promise. 

So much of what was good in his life, he owed to Shiro. If walking away from the Black Lion, from the paladins, from Shiro was what it took, then that was what Keith would do. Without a second thought.

***

It was strange how normal the rest of the day had seemed after Keith’s departure. But in the past month, his Blade missions had kept him away so much that an absent Keith had become the normal. 

Alone in his room, Shiro went about his nightly routine. He ran a diagnosis on his arm, took the medication that Coran had found for the headache that never seemed to fully go away, and confirmed the castle’s wakeup alarm.

He lay down on his bed and the events of the day replayed themselves in his head. Once again, he was the Black Paladin. The relief he felt when Black answered his pleas and the thrill he’d experienced when he led his teammates to form Voltron was marred by Keith’s decision and the guilt Shiro felt for his role in his friend’s choice. Maybe serving under Kolivan would give Keith the opportunity to grow into the leader Shiro was certain he was capable of. Maybe he’d come to understand and accept his Galra heritage. Maybe he’d find some way to be happy.

Something had changed in Keith. Shiro knew he was partly to blame. He had pushed too hard, asked too much. Still, the Keith he’d known back at the Garrison, the one who’d saved Shiro’s life so many times he’d lost count, had never let him down. Shiro knew Keith would return to the team stronger and wiser.

With a mix of sadness and pride, Shiro slowly drifted off to sleep and his thoughts became more dreamlike and less his own. Familiar consciousness receded. New consciousness arose. This awareness was hard and cold, with a ruthless, calculating focus not unlike the Shiro who cut down opponents in Zarkon’s gladiator arena.

It was done, this dark Shiro gloated. He’d pushed Keith away. 

It hadn’t been easy; the young man’s devotion ran deep. When Shiro had undermined the new Black Paladin’s authority, Keith had yielded. When Shiro had admonished him, Keith had apologized. Funny how the weakest of Lance’s barbs would be returned with a righteous fury, while Shiro’s deeper cuts were accepted without protest. But even Keith’s devotion had its limits and Shiro had persisted. 

He had to be careful. Overt antagonism might have alerted the rest of the team to the schism in his personality. They must only see the surface-Shiro, the one who was kind and understanding and believed himself intact and unaffected by his latest abduction. Surface-Shiro might regret speaking harsh words to Keith, might be embarrassed and even apologize after a confrontation, but he must never recognize dark-Shiro’s hand in it. Fortunately, dark-Shiro knew Keith well, knew how to twist a phrase, when to say nothing while looking disinterested, the tiny actions that would leave Keith unmoored and doubting himself.

And, now, finally, it had worked. Keith was with the Blade and the pain Shiro had inflicted with his indifference would keep him away. 

Would keep him safe.

When Operation Kuron was activated, when the betrayal program was initiated and surface-Shiro unleased chaos and destruction, Keith would be too far away to get caught in the resulting fallout. 

Dark-Shiro wasn’t strong enough to stop the program, Hagger had seen to that. 

But in this one thing he had won. He let his sense-of-self sink back into the void, remembering the contented look on Keith’s face after the group hug, and feeling a brief moment of genuine happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> So, it's obvious something is going on with Shiro and I'm looking forward to the reveal in Season 5. Clone Shiro seems like a good possibility, but alternatively there could be a hidden program lurking in his brain. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of the idea/twist, I'm on [tumblr](https://smokeywisp.tumblr.com/) now


End file.
